Spy Shots—C7 Corvette Prototype Uncovered

The shooters at KGP Photography caught an enticing C7 Corvette test car—rocking silver stripes on top of its yellow paint job—in the midst of winter-testing. The prototype provides a first look at a racing-striped C7 and how it will interplay with the car's new lines and blacked-out trim. The question remains, is this just a test-striped early C7 build or is there any chance that this a new trim level, such as a C7 Gran Sport? KGP reports that there is no smoking gun that proves this is an alternate C7 performance package, but in the online colorizer that Chevrolet provided to paint your own Corvette, there were no provisions for adding any additional striping to the Stingray. Next is the fact that while this C7 looks thoroughly badged-out, there is no Stingray badge on either front fender. While it could be an oversight, the omission on this test ’Vette is intriguing.

Finally, there is clear evidence of a car cover piled up in the rear cargo of this prototype. It would seem that Chevrolet is in full PR mode on the C7 Stingray at this point, so parking them around, uncovered, would seem to be a great eye-catcher to capture the public's attention. Is this car cover at the ready to keep prying eyes from discovering a new C7 variant? Seems plausible, and follows perfectly the protocol that was followed by Corvette test teams, which were caught on test runs during the C7's development period.

When it comes to the prospect of spotting the next C7 variant after the Stingray, the shooters at KGP Photography aren't leaving anything to chance and disregarding the anomalies found on this particular C7 test car.
[TABLE="width: 500, align: center"]
[TR]
[TD]

I absolutely love it!!! I'm going down to the assembly plant in the next couple weeks, as part of the retooling process. They have invested a boat load of money in that plant, I can't wait to see it all come together...

I absolutely love it!!! I'm going down to the assembly plant in the next couple weeks, as part of the retooling process. They have invested a boat load of money in that plant, I can't wait to see it all come together...

The final example of a sixth-generation Chevrolet Corvette — a white 427 convertible heading to General Motors' corporate museum — rolled from the assembly line in Bowling Green, Ky., this morning. The plant will now retool to build the seventh generation Corvette, the convertible edition of which we'll see more of this weekend. Unfortunately for GM, the retooling will take much of 2013, leaving dealers with a dwindling stock of Vettes; last month, the Corvette was outsold by the Ford Raptor.Photo: Corvette Museum

Unfortunately I am going to setup machines, and they would fire anybody who takes unauthorized pictures of inside the plant. Once the car is in production, you can tour the plant and see what we see and then some.